A Chronicle of Alex's Adventure with CHERUB
by wolfern
Summary: Alex is training with the SAS when his peaceful world is thrown into disarray with the arrival of a new breed of spies - CHERUBs. The following is a chronicle of this and the events that followed.
1. Chapter 1

**A Chronicle of Alex's Adventure with CHERUB**

**Disclaimer: Some things are priceless, for everything else there is MasterCard. Unfortunately, Alex Rider and CHERUB are two things you can't buy with MasterCard. Trust me; I would know.**

**AN: This story has been fully written. I shall post a chapter each week.**

* * *

><p>Alex spun around to catch the foot aiming for his head. It would be ironic, he mused, if his schoolmates were doing self-defence in PE right now. These thoughts were soon shattered as he caught the foot yet again. He sighed. It was obvious that the man had no sense of style or creativity. All he did was hit, parry, kick and block. Any hopes Alex had of an interesting fight winked out of existence. He quickly ended it with a sharp jab to his opponent's neck and wondered idly what Tom was having for lunch.<p>

xox

The stares were hard not to notice as Alex entered through the main gates of his school, but he had grown used to them after a year since he had become a spy. It wasn't very hard to ignore whispers when you were used to more dangerous things.

He strode confidently, making his way straight towards his one and only friend: Tom Harris. The other boy joined him at the gate, bombarding him with questions about his latest mission and pleas for Alex to train him to be as 'awesome' as the spy was.

Since his meeting with Snakehead, Alex had started training harder. This meant that most missions were completed with less risks and he wasn't caught as often. Additionally, Blunt and Jones started teaching him tricks to being Head of MI6, because they wanted him as their protégé. All in all, things had taken a turn for the better.

In class, the lockdown bell sounded, but no one reacted, as everyone thought it was a drill. Minutes later however, people started looking worried when a series of gunshots were fired.

Alex was texting MI6 about the situation, when a notification on the intercom sounded.

"_Alex Rider, please come to the Principal's office. Immediately."_

Alex's teacher nodded when Alex glanced to him for permission. He got out of his seat and quickly made his way to the office, all the while formulating a plan of attack.

As he arrived at his destination, Alex checked the hallways for any classmates or teachers. It wouldn't do for any of his peers to witness what was about to happen.

He threw open the door, ducking the bullets aimed at his head. Immediately, his foot snapped out, catching one man's shins. The man fell to the ground as Alex swung around to block the punch aimed at his head, and jumped over the man who had fallen, managing to land a foot on the man's groin.

He dealt with the second man using a strike to the head followed by a hard punch to the solar plexus. He dodged the retaliatory kick aiming for his nose, and punched the cartilage of the final attacker's nose into the back of his head.

A loud noise attracted his attention, and he spun swiftly as four burly men burst through the door. Spotting the SAS insignia on their uniforms and recognizing their faces, he allowed himself to relax slightly.

"Took a while, didn't you?"

Later, Alex was debriefing in Blunt's office, K-Unit waiting outside in the lobby.

"Today's incident was… rather unfortunate. However, you managed to prevent it from escalating further," the older man intoned. Alex knew this was as close to a compliment that he would ever receive from him.

"The captives will be held in the cells, while we… interview them to decide their fate." As always, he had a remarkable ability to understate everything he said. Looking at Alex through hooded lids that hid the sharpest eyes in Britain, he continued. "The question is – what are you going to do now?"

Alex thought for a while. His school would probably be attacked again if he continued to go, and though he would miss seeing Tom, it would be much safer for all his classmates if he left school. They may have made his life miserable, but he didn't want them to die because of him.

Besides, MI6 would probably be able to teach him anything he needed to know, and he himself would be safer in military territory.

Explaining his reasons, he told Blunt his decision.

Blunt nodded sagely, then the two sat for a while, as Blunt did . . . whatever it was he was doing. After a while of awkwardness, the man proceeded to call in K-Unit.

His eyes even flashed with a smile – if such things were possible – but Alex dismissed it as a trick of the light and exited, stage left.

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><p><strong>So. Thoughts? Review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As Alex stepped out of the jeep into the miserable hell that was Brecon Beacons, he was assaulted with memories from the last time he had come to this place. Visions of trudging through half-frozen mud, slop masquerading as 'food' and hostile soldiers filled his mind as he surveyed the first place he had been sent to after agreeing to become a spy.

Next to him, Wolf muttered something sounding suspiciously like 'home, sweet home'. Alex hadn't thought that Wolf knew what sarcasm _was_, much less how to use it so effectively. Sneaking an incredulous glance at Wolf's non-existent smile, he relaxed. Wolf wasn't being sarcastic; he actually _liked_ being frozen, eating slop and growling at his fellow hostile soldiers. Feeling he had a right to mutter too, Alex muttered something sounding suspiciously like 'each to their own'.

"What was that?" Wolf spun around to glare guardedly at Alex.

Alex shrunk under Wolf's accusing frown and mumbled, "Nothing."

Turning back and leading the way to the Sergeant's quarters, Wolf replied smugly, "I thought so."

Not one to let someone else have the last word, Alex whispered, "You can_ think_?"

xox

The Sergeant was not happy to see Alex.

"What the devil is he doing here?" the Sergeant barked, pointing threateningly at Alex. "I thought we got rid of him ages ago."

"Sir, you received a letter from Mr Blunt saying–"

"I know what that letter said!" the Sergeant snarled explosively. "He was meant to arrive two weeks from now!"

"A problem arose and I had to come early," Alex broke in smoothly, deciding not to mention the fact that Blunt had apparently already decided he was to go to Brecon Beacons. "MI6 apologises for the inconvenience."

The Sergeant scowled, his face twisting harshly. "Of course they do, they always do, those sons–"

"Sir," Wolf interrupted hurriedly, "Perhaps we should get started on his assessment?"

"Yes, yes," the Sergeant flapped a hand at them. "Dismissed!"

xox

"You whoreson beetle-headed, flap-ear'd knave," Alex slurred deliriously after his twentieth time around the assault course. To his credit, it had only taken him six minutes – this time. His English teacher would be proud. "_Taming of the Shrew, _Act IV, line I, chapter 144."

"Uh, Wolf?" Eagle asked, surreptitiously poking Wolf on the shoulder. "Do you think we should stop making him go over this course? I mean, he's already beaten his personal best by a lot. Not to mention some of our times, too. I hate to say it, but I'm impressed."

Wolf smiled – that is, smirked – mercilessly. "We still have at least three hours until sundown. And I'm not impressed yet."

"A great quotation," Alex strode confidently up to Fox and clapped him on the shoulder. "I think I love you, Fish."

"I agree with Eagle," Fox decided. "No one could ever love a scaly underwater animal. We should at least let him rest for a while."

"Pee should at best be a pest for the bile," Alex agreed.

"Fine. But he's only resting for half an hour – after that it's the assault course again."

xox

After K-Unit had finished torturing – that is to say, assessing – Alex had been reduced to a quivering mess of exhaustion. It had taken five days for him to be as rigorously tested as Wolf demanded.

Whenever the next simulation or task was being set up, Wolf had made him go over the assault course. No one could ever say that they didn't push you in the SAS.

However Alex, being who he was, had an awe-inspiring recovery rate and always recovered soon enough to be glaring half-heartedly at who he knew to be his principal torturer. Of course, being fantabulously skilled, he could split the other half of his glare between the three other members of K-Unit.

Gulping down vast amounts of water, Alex wondered again how he had ever thought that Wolf had a heart.

_I mean, I knew his heart was black, and charred… and pretty much evil all through,_ he mused, b_ut now, it's like… He doesn't even have a heart! He's like… the scary version of Tinman. _

Letting his glare abate, he continued his musings. K-Unit relaxed as the glare was turned off. It was – "_almost,"_ Wolf growled – as effective as the intimidating man's own glare.

_…Eagle is pretty dumb for a soldier – he must be Scarecrow. And Snake is like a mother, sometimes. That would make him the Lion, because he needs more balls. _

_What about Fox? Well, Toto is a dog, right? Foxes are a type of dog, I think…. Hang on. Does that mean I'm Dorothy?_ Alex shuddered in horror. _Why am I even _thinking_ about this?_

"So, Cub," Fox shattered his distressing thoughts. "We're pretty impressed with your times on the assault course, your–"

"I'm not impressed," Wolf interrupted. "Well, maybe a little – but not much."

"As I was saying," Fox glared ineffectually at Wolf, "We are pretty impressed with your times on the assault course, your accuracy when shooting, your combat skills and your knowledge and prowess in simulations. You are – _"almost,"_ Wolf growled – up to SAS standard."

Naturally, Fox declined to mention Alex had beaten Wolf on not only the assault course, but also the shooting range. Even some of his tactics in the mission simulations had been placed into upcoming exams. Fox didn't have a death wish.

He continued, "We've presented your achievements to the Sergeant, and we'll start on your proper training tomorrow. We thought you might want to see your report. Eagle?"

Eagle dramatically produced a sheet of paper. "Ahem. There are four main areas you're tested on in the SAS. That's combat, weapons, fitness and knowledge. Combat and weapons are pretty much self-explanatory.

Fitness is your endurance and agility, that sort of thing. And not just on land – in water too. That's what the assault course and lake are for. Knowledge is basically everything else – parachuting, medical stuff and torture resistance….the list goes on!"

He paused to let Alex absorb this information.

"So, combat. You're pretty good at combat, but that's to be expected when you're a black belt. However, you need to learn different styles of combat. That ties into weapons. You are proficient in utilizing weapons fully – probably comes with being MI6. Surprisingly, you are adept at shooting, when Sergeant has told us you've never been allowed a gun before."

Eagle stopped to stare at Alex searchingly. Alex stared back steadily.

Tearing his gaze back to the sheet of paper, Eagle continued. "That brings us to fitness. Your endurance is extremely high – I wouldn't be surprised if you could force yourself to keep going until you collapsed, you're that determined.

Being rather young, you're agile and flexible; you have good balance, co-ordination and a good reaction time. You are very fast, strong and powerful for someone as young as you are. So, for whatever reason, your level of fitness is impressive.

Your extensive knowledge is notable for someone your age, but not quite up to the level that the SAS demands. Looking at your report, I can see why MI6 wanted you."

Alex sat in silence. None of this information was new to him. He knew he was better than most kids his age were, and that wasn't just him boasting. It was the truth. Ian had trained him since he was just about a toddler and he couldn't escape the fact that he was much more equipped to be a spy than many, if not all, of his peers.

Still, that didn't stop him wishing MI6 had chosen someone else; that he had never tried to satisfy his curiosity by jumping onto that flagpole. _Curiosity really did kill the cat – or rather, the Cub._

Sure, he had accepted his new life of being a spy. It wasn't a bad life, and sure, he rather enjoyed the satisfaction of completing a mission – but that didn't stop him wishing sometimes that he could, for just once, have a normal life. Nevertheless, he knew that was never going to be a possibility.

"Why don't we get some sleep?" Fox, for the second time that day, shattered his thoughts. It was almost as if the man could somehow read his emotions. He wondered if Fox was a Legilimens. . .

xox

The next morning, Alex woke to the relaxing sound of the early morning bugle. Trudging his way to the mess hall for his daily dose of nutritious gruel – no added flavours or colours! – he could not help but realise the different atmosphere.

Usually, the SAS soldiers would alternate between staring at him with animosity and looking away innocently – well, as innocently as they could manage. Today though, they seemed to be regarding him with something that seemed akin to respect. _No… The day these SAS brutes show respect to _me_, of all people, is the day Mrs Jones goes off peppermints._

His thoughts were interrupted by a large, heavy hand clapping him on the shoulder.

"Cub, right? Heard ya did well on yer report," the older man said gruffly, avoiding his eyes. "Just wanted ta say congrats."

Alex stood in shock, one thought running through his mind. _I hope the candy store can survive without its principal peppermint purchaser._

Throughout Alex's breakfast, several other soldiers came up to congratulate him. K-Unit remained silent. Alex remained confused.

xox

Once they finished breakfast, and headed back to their barracks, he hissed at Wolf, "What's going on?"

Wolf glared at him, but Alex, to his horror, discovered that Wolf didn't have his glare on full power. This, above all else, scared Alex more than anything. He whimpered softly. "You – you're not – why are you–?"

Wolf's glare softened into something resembling a normal look. Alex's look grew even more horrified. "Cub. It seems your impressive report, far from distancing you from our comrades, has earned you their respect." He paused with a conflicted expression.

"Good work," he said finally, stiffly avoiding Alex's horrified expression.

_I can't believe it, _he thought, overwhelmed. _Wolf actually – he actually managed to compliment me without spontaneously combusting! And these SAS brutes are acting _friendly_… The Mayans were right. The world _is _ending…_

"Th – Thanks," he managed to choke out.

xox

After that fateful morning, things calmed down a little. Alex got used to trudging though half-frozen mud, eating slop masquerading as 'food' and chatting amicably with his fellow hostile soldiers; Wolf steadfastly remained neutral towards Alex and never complimented him again; and for the first time in the few weeks he'd been in Brecon Beacons, Alex found himself relaxing. However, Alex, being Alex, was never destined to have a comfortable future, and so after two weeks of calm, Alex's boat was rocked once again. The Cherubs were about to invade Hell.

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><p><strong>Yep, the Cherubs are coming next chapter. Please don't kill me!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What are you doing _here_?" The whining voice of the stocky, fair-haired boy asked. "Who _are_ you?"

Alex did his best to restrain from sneering. "My name . . ."

The boy listened closely.

". . . is Elvendork."

Looking around as if confused by the stares he was receiving, Alex cried indignantly, "What? It can be a boy's name too! It's unisex!"

They continued to stare.

He sighed. "What's it to you?"

"Why you–!" The boy growled. Sadly, it was a rather pitiful growl, especially when compared to Wolf's.

"Shush, James, he wasn't trying to be rude," the girl, clearly a swimmer and obviously related to the boy, hissed. She turned to Alex. "I'm Lauren. I know James here didn't really ask you properly, but I'm sure we" – here she gestured to her black and navy shirted companions – "would like to know the answers to his questions."

Alex tried his hardest not to smirk. "And I would like the answer to my question."

A second boy who looked older – _definitely gay,_ Alex thought_ – _sighed. "Look, dude, you answer our questions and we'll answer yours. Okay?"

Alex adopted an affronted expression, and struggled not to let out an evil cackle as they walked straight into his trap. "No, _no_! You will answer _my_ question first, and then I will decide if the answer proves you worthy enough that I shall answer _your_ questions. Okay?" He considered adding in an attitude flick of his hair, but decided not to. Even if the soldiers were all on a hiking trip, he didn't want to take any chances. The soldiers might respect him, but that respect only went so far.

Another girl stepped forwards. This one was quite curvy, and very well endowed, so he leered a little. "We asked you first, smart-arse!" She _did_ add in an attitude flick of her hair. And an eye-roll. Very effective, when coupled with her distinctive Australian accent.

Alex sighed inwardly. He was going to have to think up an excuse sometime. "My real name," – he paused dramatically for effect – "is Starbright. _Jack_ Starbright."

He congratulated himself for his quick thinking. "I am here," – he paused dramatically again – "because I am a delinquent," – here he sneered – "on 'alternative' punishment. They seemed to think this would 'beat some sense into me.'"

Lauren stepped back, nodding, appeased with his explanation. James looked miffed.

"Right. Now that's over, why don't we, like, introduce ourselves?" The second boy smiled genially and offered his hand. "I'm Kyle. You already know James and Lauren – they're brother and sister, in case you hadn't guessed. This," – he gestured to the curvy girl – "is Dana."

Alex considered putting Kyle into an awkward situation by not taking his hand, but decided even he wasn't that mean. Besides, a delinquent wouldn't do that kind of thing. Right? "So why are _you_ here?"

"We're here because–"

Any reply James may have made was cut off by two figures, followed by the Sergeant, heading at a brisk walk towards the group.

"I hope you kids haven't gotten into any trouble," said the woman, an athlete if ever he saw one.

"We haven't," chorused the group.

"Jack was just telling us that he's here because he's a delinquent on an alternative punishment," James blurted out.

The three adults transferred their gazes to Alex. The Sergeant acknowledged his story with a subtle nod.

"Jack, is it? I'm Meryl. Meryl Spencer. This is my associate Ewart Asker," the woman greeted warmly. "So your parents just let you come along?"

Alex scrambled to find an excuse, before realising he didn't even have to lie. "I'm an orphan."

The Sergeant chose the awkward silence that followed to butt in. "Kid, you've been given the day off to help these schoolkids settle in. Just remember that you still have punishment duty tonight."

Alex mockingly saluted, knowing that the Sergeant would tell him the truth about the kids during his 'punishment'.

xox

That night, Alex went to bed wondering whether the new kids had done anything like he had. _Not to sound high and mighty, but _'Help Earth'_?_ He scoffed inwardly. _Oh yeah, that's scary stuff._

With each story the Sergeant had told him about them, he found himself more and more grateful to Alan Blunt for bringing him into MI6.

_God knows what would have happened if _they_ had picked me up. I might have become like them._ Suppressing a shudder, he found himself, for the first time in his short, miserable life, glad to be with MI6.

xox

Meanwhile, the Cherubs were having an impromptu meeting in their cabin.

"So," James began, "who knew that kid was going to be here too?"

He looked around the room, taking in all the shaking heads.

"Who is he, exactly?" Lauren asked, "I mean it's not as if just any teenage delinquent gets sent to a soldier camp."

Meryl entered the conversation. "I called Zara to run a search on him and he's apparently got a track record, so they probably sent him here to persuade him not to deviate again. One of the more notable things he's done was when he was fourteen. He hijacked a crane, using it to dump the boat of a well-known drug dealer into a conference on stopping drugs."

The Cherubs sat in a stunned silence.

"Whoa!" Kyle eventually burst out, "The dude is extreme! Couldn't he, like, have phoned the police or something?

Meryl chuckled and continued, "He's an orphan who's been living on the streets after his uncle died in a car accident – his parents were killed in a plane crash when he was a baby. His school records before he left indicate that he's more intelligent than normal, but he didn't work to his full potential."

"Anyway," Ewart cut in, "It's about time for bed. Go on, to your beds!"

They wished each other goodnight and settled in their hard, lumpy mattresses. Soon, all of them were asleep, renewing their energy for the next day.

xox

A few weeks later, Alex had greatly impressed the Cherubs, who were surprised that a 'civilian' could perform so much better than they could. They were surprised to see even soldiers treating him as an equal rather than adopting the superior manner they used with the Cherubs.

They were packing their bags to return to base, when Alex entered their cabin.

"Are you going?" he asked.

"Yeah. It was fun meeting you, though," replied Lauren.

Alex snorted. They had been peeved at him the whole time because he, a _delinquent_, had shown them up. He'd had fun antagonising them as much as possible.

"Well, bye, then. Don't forget me!" He turned around and left the cabin.

"Stupid kid," James growled. He hadn't liked having the little show-off making them look bad in front of the soldiers. They were _Cherubs_! They were meant to _impress_ people, not be _mocked_!

They left the cabin and piled onto the bus waiting for them. When they were settled, it drove off.

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><p><strong>AN: I know my chapters are very short, but <em>please <em>review. I need to know what you think and how I can improve. Any criticism is welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Back at base, the Cherubs were called to report on their experience to Zara. Jack Starbright, they told her, had excelled in many of the drills and they held him in high regard. By the time Meryl and Ewart had submitted their reports, she had been sufficiently impressed and decided that when his punishment was over, she would bring him to CHERUB base to test him for acceptance.

xox

While Zara was making plans for Alex, the teen spy himself was receiving a call from Blunt.

"We want you to infiltrate CHERUB. Tomorrow you will be returned back to the Royal and General, and we shall set you up with a cover story that fits with what you told them in Wales. We expect a full report on how they are organised, their missions, people who know about them and their members."

Alex hung up the phone and smirked. This would be fun.

xox

A few days later, Alex was bored.

He had been sitting around on the street where he 'lived' and the Cherubs _still_ hadn't picked him up – though he was sure he had been pretty obvious; letting them see his face; writing "Jack Starbright woz 'ere" in places often frequented by people. How could a 'renowned spy agency' be so oblivious?

xox

Back at CHERUB campus, those who weren't on a mission were scurrying around like headless chickens, trying to discover Jack's location. They had checked _everywhere_, including Brooklands High, but he was nowhere to be found.

Zara was getting anxious and frustrated. She'd sent word to contacts to look out for the boy, but it seemed he couldn't be found. How could a civilian hide so well?

xox

By Saturday, Alex was ready to do just about anything, so long as it would get his mission moving. He moved to the window of the level two music store he was in, and spotted his chance. Moving surreptitiously to a grand piano with wheels up for sale, he leant his weight upon it, rolling it to the window.

When it was in place, he pushed it through, managing to just miss the agent walking below on the street. He jumped out after the piano, landed on it and flashed a grin at the stunned man.

"What's up doc?" Alex sniggered, and bounded off down the street.

When he recovered from his shock, the man whipped out his spy-phone and called CHERUB's secure number.

"I've found him."

xox

The next day, Alex was returning to his little hideaway after some shopping – i.e. stealing – and spotted three men standing around his 'home', trying to be inconspicuous. Making sure they couldn't see him, he made his way to the other side of his home and snuck in. He stuffed all the items he would need for his mission into a ratty looking backpack, along with the food he had just 'bought'. Snatching a glance at the men who _still _hadn't noticed his presence, he kicked a book that was lying on the floor towards them. Seeing that their attention was now fixed on the book, he darted out after it, yelling "Damn!"

He felt himself be grabbed by one of the agents and struggled, just so they wouldn't get suspicious. After all, what delinquent _wouldn't _try to get away when caught?

While he tried to struggle but not escape, the men fumbled for something in the guy's pocket. Alex watched curiously wondering what it was, when he felt something stab into his back.

His last thought before succumbing into unconsciousness was '_Blunt better be grateful'_.

xox

Alex woke to an unfamiliar room. There was a single bed, one wardrobe and one desk, all looking quite new. There even was a TV, kettle, telephone and miniature fridge. How thoughtful.

He pulled the blanket aside, noting at the same time the state of his clothes – or rather, lack of them. Weird. What kind of a spy agency would undress a boy? To make sure no one was seeing his bits and to avoid that disturbing train of thought, he looked around for hidden cameras. It seemed there were none. Stupid Cherubs. Either that or they were smarter than he was and had an ulterior motive he couldn't determine.

Alex sat up and looked around. He guessed that the room was on the fifth or sixth floor. The window overlooked an athletics track. There were children running around and doing stretches, while some other kids got tennis coaching on clay courts off to the side. How tennis could possibly help them spy, he had no idea.

Our young spy allowed himself a small victory dance. Against all odds – including the oblivious Cherubs making it hard for him to be found – he had made it. Now all he had to do was impress them. Like that would be hard.

As he looked around the wardrobe, he saw clean clothes on the floor: white socks and boxers, a pressed orange T-shirt, green military-style trousers with zipped pockets and a pair of boots with a rubbery smell and shiny black soles.

He put on the clothes and inspected the logo embroidered on the T-shirt. It was a winged baby – a cherub – sitting on a globe. Underneath was an acronym: CHERUB. Yep, he had definitely made it.

Whistling 'Colonel Bogey', he made his way into the corridor. It seemed the Cherubs didn't care for locks.

xox

Out in the corridor the children had the same boots and trousers as Alex; however, their T-shirts were either black or grey, all with the CHERUB logo on them.

"Excuse me?" Alex asked, speaking to a boy who was coming into his direction. "I'm sort-of lost." How one could be 'sort-of' lost, he had no idea. But it did make him sound more unsure.

"Can't talk to orange," the boy replied without stopping.

Alex looked around. It was a row of doors in either direction. A couple of teenage girls were down one end.

"Hey!" Alex called. "Could you tell me where to go?"

"Can't talk to orange," both girls said simultaneously.

Alex scowled. He knew this 'can't talk to orange' tactic was probably for intimidation, but it was irritating. He stalked towards a short, scrawny boy he had just spotted behind a tall pot plant. Time he take this matter into his own hands. Literally.

He pounced on the boy, stripping him of his shirt, and placing the orange one on the indignant boy. Mission complete.

"Hey! What the f*** was that for?" The boy cried, horribly outraged.

"Sorry," Alex smirked, holding up his hand in the universal 'talk to the hand' gesture. "Can't talk to orange."

He spun around haughtily, and began to explore the CHERUB complex.

xox

"Damnit!" Zara cried, slapping the desk as she scanned the video cameras for 'Jack Starbright'. The group of agents she had called flinched.

"Why wasn't anyone keeping an eye on him? And how did he beat Bruce? Someone go find him. NOW!"

Several teens glanced at each other, paled, and left hurriedly.

xox

As Alex sauntered around his new temporary home, he noted the frustrated whispers of several groups of older teens. He couldn't discern who they were so angry about, but he did pick up a few words: "Where . . . how . . . _do_ that? Slimy git . . . annoying . . ."

Our compassionate spy shook his head sadly and despaired for the poor person they were obviously angry with. They were in for a beating when they were found.

xox

It was nearing noon (Alex could tell by the way his stomach sounded) and Alex was already bored. Why was no one coming for him? Why did _he _have to do all the work for them?

He made his way back to whence he came and sat down outside the room.

A few minutes later, the older teens he had seen earlier came round the corner, spotted him and lunged at him. They grabbed him tight, holding his arms behind his back. He made the customary struggle, but was internally shouting with joy. Until one of them grabbed his butt.

"Hey!" he cried, "Isn't this a little sudden?"

The others made no move to acknowledge him, instead manhandling him towards a lift. They pressed the number one button and waited, still holding his butt.

When the bell rang and the lift doors opened, they dragged him past a fountain of the same winged baby on the CHERUB logo and towards a desk. Behind the desk was an elderly woman.

Alex scowled at the butt-rapists next to him, before a soft cough grabbed his attention.

"Good morning Jack," the woman said. "Doctor McAfferty would like to see you in his office."

xox

She led Alex down a short corridor and knocked on a door.

"Enter," a person with a soft Scottish accent said from inside.

Alex stepped inside. He found himself in an office with huge windows and a lit fireplace. The walls were lined with leather-bound books. Doctor McAfferty stood up from behind his desk and shook Alex's hand, crushing it with the strong grip.

"Welcome to CHERUB campus, Mr Starbright," he greeted. "I'm Doctor Terrence McAfferty, the Chairman. Everybody calls me Mac. Have a seat."

Alex slowly walked over to a fire in the corner and settled down in an armchair. He felt like Harry Potter visiting Dumbledore and half-expected to be offered a sweet.

"We need to talk," the Chairman said dramatically. Alex choked. What was it with the Cherubs and fast relationships?

"I know this sounds a bit stupid, but I don't remember coming here," Alex said after a moment of silence. "Is this some kind of place where street kids go to keep them from the public eye?"

Mac smiled warmly. "No. This is not a place where street children go if the Government doesn't want them. In actuality, they come here because the Government _does _want them."

"But why? If you haven't realised, I'm just a criminal street kid, Dr. McAfferty."

"Believe me, you are useful. You're smart. Innovative. Fit. Strong. Jack, don't waste your talents by stealing food for the rest of your life. Use it to help others."

Alex's mouth was open. If he had expected to hear something then this was the last. They were appealing to his – a _criminal's _emotions? How could they think it could work? Nevertheless, it would have to, because that was his mission.

"_Help people?_" he scoffed with a sceptical expression.

"You heard right," Mac said. "You could save many if you join us, and you are lucky enough to be one of the few people we have chosen."

"So . . . what's going to happen? What is this place?" Alex pretended he was slowly becoming convinced.

"This place - CHERUB - is here to train children to be spies. You are just the kind of child we are looking for, Jack."

"You're trying to use the fact that adults never suspect children of espionage?"

"See, Alex? This is what I'm talking about. You're probably smarter than some other kids on campus are. But moving on," Mac continued, "We'll give you a blue-shirt – which means you're a trainee – and put you in basic training with the rest of the trainees. If you pass, we'll give you a grey shirt, which shows that you're qualified for missions."

"However, you do not have to become a CHERUB agent if you don't want to, Alex. We won't make you do it. You can pull out any time you're on missions – you won't even go on a mission if you don't want to – and we can always find you a foster home if you don't want to be an agent any more. Any questions?"

Alex pretended to ponder for a moment, and then slowly answered, "Alright. I'm in."

"Wonderful," Mac smiled. "I will arrange everything. Do you want some tea?"

xox

To enter CHERUB, Alex had been told he had to pass five induction tests. The first one, he discovered, was to fight against an experienced fighter. He was led onto a blue floor where he was introduced to his opponent, Bruce, and the rules. To his surprise, he recognised the boy as the one he'd stolen the shirt from. The boy was glaring at him fiercely. Alex laid his hand upon his brow and pretended to faint from fright.

Bruce looked put out.

"I see you found a new shirt," Alex remarked, to break the silence.

"No thanks to you." The boy retorted curtly.

Alex laughed softly, just to enhance his 'evil guy' persona.

"Some are born with shirts, some get shirts… and some have shirts thrust upon them," he intoned ominously.

"Shut up," the kid replied, "just get on with the fight."

Alex's supervising adult counted the two teens in. Alex watched as Bruce's feet did the grapevine; left, right, front behind – a continuous dance. Keeping eye contact, Alex saw a flicker of fear in Bruce's eyes as each boy measured the skill of his opponent. Alex knew Bruce would be unable to glimpse an emotion from Alex, as he had been trained to withdraw into himself and hide all emotion when fighting. Scorpia had benefitted him in more ways than just shooting.

_Be scared little boy, _Alex thought, _be very scared_.

The circling continued. Already, Bruce's new shirt was beginning to show dark sweat marks – a sign of the boy's intense concentration. Alex himself was feeling as fine as he had when he'd started. Around them, the nearby watchers were waiting with bated breath. Now and then, a few cheers had broken out for Bruce, but they had gradually dwindled in number until there was only the sound of Bruce's angry breathing.

The eyes of Alex's opponent were crazed, and the boy was drooling as they circled like cobras. Alex noticed his hands shaking, and allowed a smirk to flash across his face. The boy was filled with pent-up rage, which was good. If he was pressured enough, he might lose all rational thought and attack mindlessly, like a rabid dog.

Eventually, sick of just walking in circles, Alex stopped and stood up straight. Raising a single eyebrow, he sent a look at the other boy that clearly said '_what are you waiting for?' _Bruce stopped too, and after a pause in which both combatants just stared at each other, he lunged at Alex, jaws snapping loudly. Alex used the boy's momentum to spin him around, tackling him to the ground. He threw himself over the boy and held him in a full nelson.

The startled referee, after a long pause of surprise, counted to three, signifying Alex's win.

To say the Cherubs were surprised would be an understatement. They'd seen him take Bruce down before, but Bruce had been startled then.

After another long pause of silence, startled applause broke out. Alex smiled. It was nice to be applauded once in a while.

xox

Afterwards, Alex was led to a room. The walls were white and the polished floor ebony. There was only a single desk and chair sitting in the middle. A single light bulb dangled from a fraying electrical cord over it. _These Cherubs have seen too many movies, _Alex thought.

He walked over to the chair and sat down.

On the desk was a pencil, eraser and several booklets. He flipped them over. They were a set of exam papers, not unlike the kind found in school. There was a test booklet each on Maths, Science, History, English and Foreign Languages.

He picked up the pencil and looked at the first booklet. It was plain black and white, with few pictures. He opened the darn thing. The first question was ridiculously easy, even if he wasn't pretending to be a year younger than his actual age. He shook his head and began to write.

The rest of the tests passed in much the same way as the first. Some of the questions he'd been asked were 'spell dificalty' and 'Simplify 6_y _+ 9_y_'.

When he had finished, he carefully checked the room for cameras. Satisfied there were no unseen watchers, he surreptitiously took out a phone given to him by Smithers, and took a photo of each page of each booklet. Blunt would be pleased to receive them.

Leaning back, he waited for the Cherubs. When Alex saw the results, he thanked MI6 mentally, for providing him extra tuition, even if it was their fault for making him miss school. It always made him feel good when he received full marks.

xox

Alex's third test – and probably the simplest and quickest – was to kill a chicken with a biro. Alex had been told it would be quick, and then been handed the pen. Alex debated for a short moment whether to kill the animal pointlessly, and decided a delinquent would find it easy to kill, so it would fit his persona. However, stabbing a blood vessel was messy, and painful. Having already killed people before, Alex finished the task remorselessly, snapping its neck instead. He knew he didn't imagine the shocked look Mr Mac had sent him as he did the deed.

xox

Next was the assault course Alex had seen when he'd first arrived. Mr Mac, still silent after the demonstration of Alex's willingness to kill, led him to it. It was about a quarter of the size of the assault course in Brecon Beacons and Alex could see it was based loosely off the easier parts of the SAS course.

They stopped at the start of the course. "Finish it as quickly as you can," Mr Mac told him, finally breaking his silence. "Don't worry if you can't make it – just do the best you can."

When Alex began, Mr Mac started the stopwatch.

The course was child's play compared to the many times Alex had been forced to run away from big violent men with guns. First, he had to climb up a long rope ladder. Brooklands made its students climb single dangling ropes every fortnight, so Alex found the ladder incredibly easy, even if he hadn't been trained by the SAS. Next, Alex slid across a pole, up another ladder and over narrow planks with one-and-a-half metre jumps in-between. There were a few more obstacles, and then a twenty metre jump onto a crash mat. Mr Mac didn't have the energy to be surprised.

_It's no wonder the Cherubs struggled so much at Brecon Beacons_, he thought as he strolled back towards Mr Mac.

xox

Lastly, Alex was made to retrieve a brick from the bottom of a pool.

He walked into the pool area. It was an Olympic-sized pool, with diving blocks and flags. The water looked inviting, but he knew from experience that it would be icy. He wondered what he was going to be made to do next – swim laps? He'd already shown he was fit.

Then he paused. There was something in the pool. Something small, brownish . . . and rectangular.

He decided not to comment.

"For this test, you have to retrieve a brick," Mr Mac explained.

Oh. It was a brick. He sagged in relief.

"Don't worry if you can't do it!" Mr Mac quickly reassured him, obviously thinking Alex's slump was due to defeat.

Alex swan dived neatly into the pool, neglecting to undress. He felt water rushing past him and propelled himself forward with a stroke. Opening his eyes, he spotted the brick and grabbed it. He turned around and burst through the water, flinging his hair out of his eyes.

The whole thing had lasted five seconds.

No one was surprised when he passed – almost everyone could swim.

* * *

><p><strong>Review if you liked this chapter. Or if you didn't.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"I'm Norman Large," a man greeted tersely, crushing Alex's hand in a hand shake. "What's your name?"

"Jack Starbright," Alex said, staring at his handler in apparent confusion.

"No, boy, your new name," Large said impatiently. He seemed, like Wolf, unable to wait for people with less knowledge to catch up. "You can't keep your old name. So, what's your name?"

"Well. . ." Alex stalled, quickly thinking. He hadn't been told about changing his name.

"I'm waiting. Just choose a name you like!"

"Alexander Ivashchenko," Alex said decisively. On one of his travels with Ian, he'd met a boy named with the surname 'Ivashchenko', and they'd been quite close. "Alex for short."

"Alex Ivashchenko?" Norman Large asked, wondering at the weirdness of the name. Honestly, you'd think kids would just choose a normal name, like . . . Norman. However, he was relieved the boy wasn't an indecisive wimp.

"Yeah. Best thing I can think of. Alex Ivashchenko."

xox

". . . These are the storage sheds and the dojo," Alex's 'tour guide' said pompously, pointing at a two-storey building. The boy had, for some reason, volunteered to show Alex around campus. Alex thought he was a goody-two-shoe.

So far, he had been shown the junior block, education block, and main building. Next to that was firing range and armoury. There were a number of well-maintained sports grounds and facilities and, surprisingly, a chapel and graveyard.

"You'll be living in the main building until you finish basic training. Over there's the medical centre. That's where you have to go now. Would you like me to escort you there? "

Alex shook his head and grimaced. He hated anything even remotely related to a hospital. He'd been hospitalised too many times to count, and the absolute lack of colour always unsettled him.

xox

The appointment with the doctor turned out to be okay. The furnishings were homey, and none of the doctors wore white coats. It was very different from the neat staff who had inhabited St. Dominic's. It was also a far cry from sanitation. Alex, only wearing his boxers, sat on a table. He hoped the doctors would think that his bullet wound was from a gang fight.

"You've got a lot of muscle for a kid who's been starving on the streets," the doctor said, sounding sceptical.

"I ran around a lot," Alex answered curtly. Why did Doctors, even CHERUB Doctors, always have to be so smart?

"Hm. You'll also have some injections over the next few weeks. Twenty-three in all."

xox

After the doctor was a dentist appointment.

"Your teeth are in a good state, considering your circumstances," the dentist told a now fully dressed Alex. "Quite a few boys who live on the streets tend to lose their teeth in street fights and the like. And they don't tend to brush their teeth much, either."

"I stole toothpaste and toothbrushes," Alex told the dentist with a straight face. The man seemed to accept the reason. Really, these Cherubs were too gullible. Unless they all had some sort of ulterior motive he was too blind to see.

xox

Alex was then shown his new room. It was similar to the one he'd first arrived in, but was bigger and had a bathroom. The walls were a pale green colour, contrasting with the dark wooden floors. All the furniture was steel framed and the sheets of his bed were a forest-green colour. There was no window, but there was a skylight in the adjoining bathroom, so he'd still get some sunlight. The double bed was opposite the door, with the bathroom on its right. A desk with a lamp was placed next to the door. Alex was slightly surprised to see a television, VCR, computer, kettle, microwave and mini fridge.

On the thick duvet covering his bed were all of Alex's 'belongings', along with a pile of pressed CHERUB uniforms. He threw himself down beside them and allowed himself a huge yawn.

He was asleep before he could even finish congratulating himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Um, sorry this chapter is shorter than the others. . . But please keep reviewing?<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Basic training, Alex was told, was the toughest 100 days of a Cherub's life. Listening to the other kids, his mind was filled with images of swimming through freezing, shark-infested waters, running through quicksand and jumping over crocodile pits. Thus, when he woke at 0500 hours on the first day of basic training, he was suitably apprehensive about the horrors awaiting him.

He arrived at the training compound, wearing clothes emblazoned with a large '4' and carrying a backpack with all the equipment he'd need, and discovered he was the first trainee there.

"Morning," Mr Large grunted, echoed by two other assistants.

Alex replied in kind. He was gestured over to one of the rusty beds sitting along a wall and made to crouch on the balls of his feet, hands on his head, while he waited for the other trainees to arrive.

xox

Three hours later, Alex was still waiting. He'd been joined by six others, four girls and two boys, but one was still missing. It seemed the others' legs had fallen asleep, but Alex had trained himself to sit in uncomfortable situations for long periods, whilst always being ready to move. His legs were sore and he was aching for a reprieve, but he would be okay for another few hours.

Eventually the late boy burst in, panting hard.

"Sorry sir," he gasped, "Someone stole my alarm clock."

Alex snorted internally. Spies should have no need for clocks. They should be trained to always wake at 0500 hours, for training and exercise.

It seemed Large felt the same sentiments. "Good morning," he said in a soft voice dripping with vitriol. "Nice of you to pop in. Did you have a nice breakfast? Read the newspaper? No need to worry. I didn't want to start without you, so I made all your new friends wait in a highly uncomfortable position until you arrived. Should I let them stand up now?"

"Yes, sir." Alex's 'new friend' said meekly.

"OK, kiddies," Large said. "Up you get. Well Princess, why don't you thank all of them for waiting?"

The other kids stood up, groaning in agony and trying to wriggle cramps out the backs of their legs. Alex stood gracefully, putting his stiff back out of his mind. The boy thanked them all, receiving withering glares in return. Alex almost pitied him. Almost.

"Stand at bed eight," Large ordered the late boy.

"Now, before I make my welcome speech," he continued, "I'll introduce my two wonderful friends who'll be helping to look after the eight of you. Mr Speaks and Miss Smoke."

Speaks and Smoke were both in their twenties and almost as muscular as Mr Large. Speaks was dark-skinned, bald, and wore sunglasses. To Alex, his fierce appearance made him look true criminal. Smoke had dull blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and was about as feminine as a brick.

"Miss Smoke," Large said, "Kindly fetch me a bucket. Late-boy, stand on one leg."

The boy stood on one leg, wobbling slightly. Smoke handed Large a metal bucket.

"Hopefully this will teach you to be more punctual from now on."

Large stuck the bucket over the boy's head. The other kids laughed. Alex just watched. Large pulled a baton out of his belt and rapped it over the top of the bucket. Alex knew the noise inside was deafening.

"Can you hear me speak, number eight?" Large asked.

"Yes sir," number eight, the boy, said.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to miss my speech. The rule is, every time your foot touches the floor you get another crack with the baton, like this –"

The baton whacked the bucket again.

"So kiddies, you're mine for the next hundred days," Large said. "Every day will be equally as joyous as the previous. There are no holidays. No weekends. You will rise at 0545, have a cold shower, get dressed, and run the assault course. 0700 is breakfast, followed by physical training until school starts at 0830. Lessons include Espionage, Language, Weaponry and Survival Skills. Lunch is at 1200. After, at 1230 you have two-and-a-half more hours of schooling and physical training. At 1400, you run the assault course again. You return here at 1700."

Number eight's foot touched the floor. Large smashed the baton into the bucket.

"Keep that foot up. At 1700, you return here. Have another shower – warm water if I'm feeling kind. Wash your clothes in the sinks and hang them up so they're dry for the morning. Then clean and polish your boots. At 1800, you get your evening meal. 1830 to 2030 is homework. Get ready for bed, then lights out at 2045. There will also be trips off campus for survival training, the last of which will take us to sunny Australia."

Alex slumped. He had many bad memories there.

"If anyone is accusing me of cruelty, I'll remind you that the fences that surround us are not to keep you from escaping, but to keep your little chums from slipping in and giving you a helping hand or a tasty snack. You are free to leave the training facility at any time, but if you wish to be a CHERUB agent, you will have to resume Basic Training from day one. If you get an injury that stops you training for more than three days, you start again from day one. Basic training is _basic, _so don't complain. Boy, put your foot down and take off the bucket."

The kid lifted the bucket off his head, blinking several times to readjust to the light.

"You were very late this morning, weren't you?" Large said.

"Yes sir."

"Well everyone, because number eight is still so full after his lie-in and cooked breakfast, I think you can all skip lunch. Not to worry though. It's only eleven-and-a-half hours until dinner."

xox

The eight kids in training were split into pairs and given a moment to familiarise themselves with each other. The first pair, numbers one and two, was a girl and a boy, named Annie and Shaun respectively. Shaun was Sri Lankan, and only twelve years old. Born in Brunei, he'd joined CHERUB two years ago. In that time he'd learned a lot that would help in basic training. Annie was another veteran, who, like Shaun, had also just turned twelve. She had been found in a shopping mall when she was only five years old. Her parents were never found.

Alex was partnered with number three, whose name was Leon. His eyes were gray and he had blond hair so light that Alex was almost blinded. He hated to think what his poor eyes would be subject to under Australia's unforgiving sun. It was bad enough dealing with a non-existent sun. Leon told Alex that he'd been picked up from an orphanage he'd been living in since his last living relative – his father – had died.

Five and six was a girl-girl pair. Mia was part Russian; her parents had died a few months earlier in a fire. Thirteen years old, she could be considered beautiful to other boys looking for a girlfriend. Aoife was pale and petite with short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Alex knew she was cleverer than she looked.

Number eight, the late boy, was Luke, who was twelve, red haired and skinny. He'd lived on the streets with his parents until they'd died when he was five. His partner, number seven, was Alice. She was eleven years old, tall and lean, with dark Asian eyes. Her black hair was feathery and came down to her shoulders. Alex had seen her in a red shirt, training a few days earlier. She looked more nervous than the others did.

xox

After being introduced to their partners, the CHERUB trainees were led around the assault course in a brisk jog. As they ran around the perimeter, Alex used the time to analyse his fellow trainees and gauge their strengths and weaknesses. Beside him, Leon was starting to huff.

"You must be really fit," the boy said, suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"I practice every day, but you're less out of breath than me!" Leon replied, sounding envious. "I always thought that the longer you stayed here, the more stamina you had. That's they told us, anyways."

"Yeah, well, when you live on the streets, it's hard not to get fit. You have to run almost every day, from other gangs and stuff," Alex explained. "It's also hard to become overweight when you're lucky to get breakfast each morning."

"Oh," Leon said awkwardly. The two continued jogging, Alex returning to his thoughts on his 'team'.

xox

Alex and Leon made it through the assault course relatively easily, Alex helping Leon in the more difficult parts, and Leon showing Alex the cheats. Alex was surprised at the laxness of the Cherubs. In Brecon Beacons, people could be binned even on just suspicion of cheating!

After forty-five minutes, Leon and Alex were dripping wet and spattered with mud, but they were cleaner than the others were and had finished ahead of everyone else.

The two washed out their shirts using a standpipe, used them to wipe their bodies clean and washed them out again. When Leon inevitably saw Alex's bullet wound, Alex was prepared and passed it off as a memento from a rival gang.

While they did this, Annie and Shaun were on the last obstacle, Mia and Aoife right behind. Alex could hear Large 'encouraging' Luke and Alice in the distance.

"Move those lazy arses! You chose to become Cherubs; act like it!"

Leon looked sympathetic, but Alex knew that if Large weren't shouting, Alice would probably give up. Though the shouting might be considered cruel, it in fact made the handpicked Cherubs more eager to succeed – which then got them off Large's pitiless hands. Really, it was a win-win situation.

xox

When all had completed the assault course, they were made to do physical training in the mud. This comprised of exercises such as crunches, squats, push-ups and star jumps. Thanks to Alex's being in a football team, which required him to constantly perform these exercises (when he wasn't on a mission as he was now), he was able to perform them with minimal exertion.

Alice was on the ground, barely lifting herself off to do a push up. Miss Smoke put her boot on the girl's head, drowning her face in the mud.

"Get up and keep going!" Smoke screamed.

Alice took the words to heart and managed another push up, before collapsing in sheer exhaustion.

Large realised that to make her do more would be detrimental to her health, as she had already pushed herself to her limits, so he quietly got Speaks to move her somewhere else where she could recover. Predictably, he kept his evil persona by telling the Cherubs that she was going to get some _special_ treatment, in a voice that belied any kindness the words might have held.

xox

After warming up in the showers, Alex and the other seven trainees were sitting at the table waiting for dinner. Alex was already settling into his new mission and was starting to get a feel for the other kids. Leon was remarkably similar to Alex's real friend Tom, but was less astute. Presumably, Tom Harris had gained this insightfulness from growing up around Alex.

Mia seemed to enjoy lavish clothes and looking good, because she was chatting happily with Alice about the latest trends, but she was able to become tough when she needed to. After being brought up by her parents who were ballet dancers, she had learned to use her beauty and grace to influence males around her. Her natural charisma took care of any jealous females.

Aiofe was also talented, and could sing quite well. Her relaxed, freckled face and easy smile were valuable in gaining trust from others.

Annie and Shaun were friends from their red-shirt days, having shared similar experiences in CHERUB. They were the mischievous jokesters of the group.

Luke was quiet, but observant. He could easily play an enigmatic kid who could charm mostly anyone to like him. Alice was also quiet, but she had a quick mind and was very witty whenever she entered the conversation.

Alex could tell the others were curious about him, but he deftly brushed aside any questions they asked and generally just joined in as a listener.

Eventually the dinners were wheeled up from the main building in a heated trolley. Smoke handed out the dishes, and the kids lifted the metal lids off quickly as their stomachs got the better of them. The fried rice was a bit dry from being kept warm, but to everyone's starving stomachs, it tasted wonderful.

As everyone ate, Large, Speaks and Smoke watched the gathering with approval. It seemed these kids would do well in CHERUB.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, this chapter is also very short. But fear not; if I get ten reviews before next week, I'll update early!<strong>

**Also: A lot of Large's dialogue is copied from the book. I figured that he has a set speech he uses for everyone.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The trainees had been told about others dropping out during basic training, but so far, no one had. The physical training was hard – even Alex could see that. Luckily, the SAS had been harder, so Alex was the only one who had yet to vomit from exhaustion. He was also the best looking; the others were covered in bruises where they had fallen or been hit during combat practice. Even so, Alex was not spotless. There was mud everywhere, from crawling through muddy tunnels and swimming through muddy water. Alex was thankful for the haircut he'd had just before going to Brecon Beacons.

Another aspect of basic training that the others complained about was the cold. The food was cold. Showers were cold. Clothes were wet and cold. The water they swam through was cold. Alex didn't mind. It was much better than tropical places, and he'd once had to camp in a tent with only his multiple jackets to keep him warm in the Siberian climate.

However, the other trainees didn't whinge much, and they were grateful for the small privileges they were allowed for good behaviour. They thanked Large, Speaks and Smoke when they were given hot drinks at lunch, a warm evening shower and meal. Those who were injured enough to visit the medical centre but not so bad as to be thrown off the course got to wait in a room kept at 22°C, with a coffee machine and chocolate biscuits. Alex had heard all about the rewards one got from a golden injury; he could only dream.

The last five hours of lessons were perhaps the most boring. Alex had already learnt about stripping and cleaning guns, defusing bullets and taking bullets apart during his time with Scorpia. Furthermore, Smithers' gadgets were much more high tech than the Cherubs', so when the trainees were taught how to use them to eavesdrop, hack, lock pick, take photos and photocopy files, Alex found his attention drifting.

Explosives taught by Mr Large were probably the most fun. Alex found it enjoyable to watch the results, no matter how many times they were repeated.

Alex was also well versed in Survival Skills. A year of working as a lone agent with virtually lone backup did wonders for a person's abilities. He already knew about building shelter, edible parts of flora and fauna, fire building and cooking. Even without MI6's training, Ian had taken him on enough spontaneous camping trips with limited supplies for Alex to pick up a few skills.

Last of all were Languages and Karate. The teachers just learnt to ignore Alex when he didn't pay attention. After all, what use is it to teach one who is already fluent in whatever language you taught, or beat you easily in a fight?

xox

It was spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Alex was nervous. The Cherubs were on their way to Australia and he hoped his experience in the country would be better than the last time, when he'd almost been blown up, been threatened with live dissection, canoed down a waterfall and was betrayed by his godfather. However, Alex knew he'd have to come back someday, and what better time than the present?

When they touched down at Brisbane airport, Alex was assaulted with the memory of a similar airport, where he had met the head of the ASIS and was consequently sent to Bangkok. He shook off his memories and followed the other Cherubs to the baggage collection, admiring the sniffer-dogs on the way.

They were then taken by bus to their next location. They'd spend four nights completing basic training several kilometres west of Gympie. The first night would be in a dormitory; the next days would be spent following separate paths on a map to certain checkpoints as fast as they could in their number pairs. They'd walk back to the dorm on their last day, where they would celebrate the return to civilisation, and then leave.

xox

The place the trainees stayed in was in the middle of nowhere, with no air-conditioning and no heated water. There was a building with a kitchen, balcony and carpeted area, and another with dorms for them to sleep in. The dorms each had two beds, and were separated by a hallway. Instead of doors, there were curtains. At the very end of the dorms were two communal showers – one for girls and one for boys. Partners shared a dorm. The instructors slept in a separate building, with a bedroom each.

It was almost midnight and Alex was lying in bed sleeping. As a creak sounded across the hallway, his eyes snapped open. Being a spy, he was able to fall asleep anywhere, but he could also wake at the drop of a pin. He kept his breathing even, eyes open to a slit and peeking out through his lashes. In the bed beside him, he could hear Leon's deep breaths.

He waited as six presences entered the room.

"Do you think he's awake?" one voice whispered.

"Shh!" another voice warned, "He won't be awake; he was out like a light at ten o'clock. Why would he wake up?"

"And anyway," a third voice joined in, "this is for his own good. He needs to lighten up!"

The others giggled quietly, and someone approached Alex. As they lifted a marker to his face, he snapped his eyes open, jerked his face up and whispered, "Boo!"

The boy jerked back in surprise, banging into the others.

"Uhh. . . This isn't what it looks like," the boy stuttered.

"Of course not," Alex smirked, "You weren't going to draw on my face at all. You were going to prank Large."

By this time, Leon had woken up and taken in the situation. He decided to join his partner. "That's right, you were going to sneak into Large's cabin and draw a smiley-face on him."

The others slumped. They had been outwitted.

xox

The next morning, a yell rang throughout the camp. Giggles were stifled and smiles hidden as a very angry and irate Norman Large stumbled out of his cabin, black pen adorning his face in the shape of a smile. It was a large change to his 'normal' expression.

"When I found out which one of you miscreants –!"

The trainees never learnt what their grisly fate would be, because a large military truck pulled up beside Mr Large. Out of it jumped a man in army fatigues.

"Mr Large, Sir!" The man saluted. Though he tried to hide it, a small smirk found its way onto his face.

Mr Large seemed to deflate, the smiley face remaining as happy as ever. "Alright, Cherubs. Your transport has arrived. Go and eat breakfast; Speaks'll get your gear while I wash this muck off. We'll deal with your punishment later."

The poor man stumbled off towards the bathrooms while the trainees filed towards the kitchen.

xox

The truck took them from the dorms straight after breakfast. The trainees sat on the packs they had been given, wearing their uniforms. These consisted of long, lightweight trousers, long-sleeved, collared green shirts, all-duty boots and light-grey akubras to protect their heads from the unforgiving Australian sun.

Large fitted each trainee with an electronic wristband. The plastic strap locked tightly so that it could only be cut with a very sharp knife and a lot of force.

"Do NOT remove the bracelet under any circumstances," Large shouted over the noise of the engine. "In an emergency, unscrew the button on the side and press it down firmly. A rescue helicopter is on standby and will reach you within twenty minutes. If you are bitten by a snake, press it right away. Australia is home to the deadliest land and sea snakes in the world. We wouldn't want you to get hurt," he added, a nasty sneer belying his words.

"We'll reach the fist drop-off point in a few minutes. All you need is in the backpacks. You have four checkpoints to reach within the next seventy-two hours. If you fail to reach the checkpoints in time, you fail training and you'll have to start again next time. Remember, this is not campus. You won't be punished for mistakes, but you could be killed. Remember your training and do your best to survive."

The truck stopped by the side of a creek. The first pair, Annie and Shaun, hopped out. The truck drove off, leaving them behind in a cloud of dust.

xox

When they reached Alex and Leon's drop-off point, Mia, Aoife, Luke and Alice were looking suitably nervous. They'd been pretty blasé before, but now it was hitting them that they'd be all alone, in the middle of nowhere, with no immediate help. Alex ignored that fact and was busy planning how to divide the hours into walking and resting with enough room for error.

Eventually, they arrived. Alex and Leon hefted their packs and exited the vehicle. As soon as it was no longer in sight, they made their way over to a large gumtree and examined the contents of their packs. Leon took out his mission briefing and groaned. Alex looked over. It was in German. He took his own copy, which was in Russian.

"Don't worry," he assured the younger boy, "I can understand Russian pretty well. My dad taught me; he thought I should know my heritage."

The other boy looked impressed.

Also in their packs were some vague maps, marked with the first checkpoint's position and where they had been dropped; a large machete; compass; three black garbage bags; food rations; two empty water canteens; a first-aid kit; water purification tablets; sunscreen; matches; a Swiss army knife and other various items which seemed unnecessary.

They removed all the irrelevant heavy items, leaving the light ones just in case. Then they checked the map and compass and set off towards their first destination.

xox

Alex and Leon marched down a dusty hill as they made their way to their first campsite. The air was hot and muggy, and flies were buzzing in abundance. Their heavy packs caused the boys to walk bent almost double at the waist, but both were still as upbeat as ever. Leon constantly rambled on, Alex occasionally offering a smile or adding a comment.

As they walked, their heavy footsteps kicked up clouds of dust. Every so often, a bird could be heard, but most of the time, the only sounds were their footsteps and heavy breathing. Every hour or so, they'd stop, take a sip of lukewarm water and check the map and compass. By the time lunchtime arrived, both boys were tired and dazed, and drenched in sweat from the merciless heat of the Australian bush.

Their lunch consisted of a muesli bar each, with dried fruit for dessert. The taste was tainted by the red dust, and flies swarmed around them like wolves, waiting for the inevitable success of the hunt. They didn't have to wait long – Leon swore dolefully as he dropped a shrivelled apricot.

The flies fed. The boys fled.

xox

The checkpoint was marked with a flag. When they finally arrived, the two relieved themselves of their heavy packs and quickly set up their tent. It was a two-man tent, with a waterproof covering. Under a large tree was a pile of stuff. Among it were cooking pots, cans of fuel, a gas burner and a map leading to the next checkpoint. According to the map, there was a creek nearby, so they changed into swimming trunks went for a quick dip to clean themselves.

The water was brown but clean, and felt refreshingly cool against their hot sweaty skin. They soaked for about ten minutes, just cooling in the flowing water, before they set off back towards their camp. The mosquitoes were coming out, and they covered as much of their skin as they could to avoid being bitten.

By the time it was dark, around 6:30pm, both boys had shared dinner cooked in a gas cooker, and were leaning against their tent, relaxing as they ate. The stars were easier to see than in the city, and Alex gazed at the unfamiliar constellations alongside Leon. As the two lay under the starry night sky, recovering after the long day, Alex was reminded just how far from home he was.

xox

Morning dawned bright and early, the piercing sun breaking through the grey clouds that filled the sky. Taking a look around, Alex could see that it had started raining sometime during the night, and the ground was sodden. After quickly packing up their tent, the two set off into the chilly day while eating a light breakfast of cereal without milk.

Mere minutes later, Alex and Leon came to where they were supposed to cross a creek. Unfortunately, it seemed that the rain the previous night had been more than they'd thought, for the bridge had disappeared under the water, which was about a meter and a bit higher than it. Alex checked the map for a non-flooded route, but the checkpoint had been on a hill and they were surrounded by water on all sides. He discussed with Leon their next plan of action, and the two boys decided that due to their need for haste, they would wade through the creek, carrying their packs on their heads.

The pair crossed slowly and carefully, carrying one pack at a time between the two of them. Around them, the water swirled, carrying branches and leaves, and even a tyre. It was cold, but they enjoyed themselves, taking their time and making sure they wouldn't inadvertently fall off the bridge. Alex was unpleasantly reminded that the most poisonous land and water snakes lived in Australia. He hoped they wouldn't meet any.

When they'd carried both packs to the other side, they squelched over to a conveniently placed paddock nearby. As Alex looked miserably at the disgusting water leaking out of his trainers, he fervently thanked whichever God was listening that their packs were dry. Behind the grassy field they were in, mountains rose up like slumbering giants. Alex checked the map and compass, noting that they'd have to traverse the mountains to arrive at their destination on the other side. They had a quick snack and started the long trek to their next checkpoint.

xox

It was about noon and the two boys had reached the top of the mountain. They sat down, shrugging off their packs with sighs of relief. They'd spent the majority of the walk zigzagging across the delightful scenes of green grass and bubbling streams. What amazed Leon was the abundance of cowpats, which had been almost everywhere, no matter how steep or rocky the ground. Obviously, the boy had concluded, cows in Australia could fly.

Abruptly, Leon started rooting around inside his pack, rather like a pig rooting around in the soil. He definitely sounded like it . . .

"What are you doing?" Alex enquired, bemused at the boy's antics.

"Looking for food. I'm hungry."

With a shout of triumph, Leon held up his prizes: a box of crackers and a jar of vegemite. Looking at the yellow and red label with an expression of profound puzzlement, he read out the name.

"Vegemite… What's that taste like?"

Alex laughed. "I've heard it's very salty. I advise you to only put a little on your cracker."

Too late, the other boy had stuck a finger-full of the black substance into his mouth. Making a face and forcing himself to swallow the vile substance, he yelled, "Yuck! Who eats this stuff?"

Alex snorted. "People who aren't as greedy as you." He used a finger to spread a very small amount of vegemite on a cracker. Taking a bite, he grinned. It wasn't so bad when used sparingly.

Soon, it was time to start moving again. Leon groaned as they stood up, complaining about many things, including the aching of his feet and the sting of his blisters.

xox

By 3pm, Alex and Leon were nearing their final destination for the day. Their backs were sore, and they couldn't wait to drop their bags and go to sleep. When they finally arrived, Leon let out a piercing, girlish squeal of joy. It sounded like a dying cat.

Alex followed him as they dropped their packs and sprawled on the grass, basking in happiness. Lying in the grass with the sun on their faces, it was easy to forget about his mission and embrace his persona as Jack Starbright, now Alex Ivashchenko. Unfortunately, Alex knew that they'd have to get set up before it got dark, and so it was with great reluctance that both boys sat up and started setting up their tent in the light of the setting sun.

When that task was done, Alex walked to a nearby creek to fill up the water supply and give himself a quick wash, to remove all the sweat and aches of the day. He was joined by Leon, and both spent a peaceful five minutes in quiet camaraderie, sharing in the moment.

Afterwards, they cooked dinner for themselves. The food was bland, but after hours of constant exercise, it was welcomed gladly by the two.

When they'd finished, Alex and Leon washed their dishes in the creek, then walked back to their tent, where they went to bed and had an early night's sleep. They'd have to rush the next day.

xox

Alex and Leon were woken on their last day of basic training by the sound of crickets chirping incessantly. With disgruntled groans, they left the darkness of their tent to venture outside into the cold air. The sun hadn't been up for long, so the dew was still evaporating, filling the air with an icy mist. The two boys packed up their gear, ate a quick breakfast and headed off to the third checkpoint.

The dirt under their boots crunched as the boys followed the map to their destination. Around them, the susurration of the trees and the crickets' chirping combined to create a maddening cacophony of noise. Alex and Leon found themselves drifting off into their own worlds.

Being with Leon, Alex was reminded of Tom Harris. He'd called Tom after leaving Brecon Beacons, and the boy had laughed with him at the naivety of the Cherubs. Even Tom was better at manipulations than they were, but maybe that was just a result of having a habit of not finishing assignments and having to lie to the teachers.

As they walked, Alex found himself observing the other boy. All throughout CHERUB basic training, he'd found himself growing closer to the younger boy. For a Cherub, he wasn't too bad.

In a way, he admired Leon because though he had dealt with many bad things, he was still able to keep his innocence as a child. Alex was not so fortunate – ever since joining MI6, he'd became more and more world-weary with each mission.

xox

By lunchtime, the air was hot and muggy, made humid from the rain of the day before. Alex was struck by how contrary the Australian climate was.

"Can you see the checkpoint?" Leon asked him.

"No," he replied, peering around in the glare of the hot sun. "Though I think it's on the other side of the hill."

Leon looked up at the hill. "As a wise, little red engine once said, 'I think I can!'"

With those wise words, he stepped up the pace and marched up the hill, repeating his motivational mantra all the while. By the time he reached the top, he had moved on to 'I _know _I can!'

True to Alex's prediction, the checkpoint was at the bottom of the hill, inside an indigenous-looking bark hut. Inside the dark hut, there was a box. In that box were four envelopes, each with the names of a pair. Leon grabbed the one with his and Alex's names, ripping it open in his haste. Inside were maps and briefing papers in Russian and German. Alex scanned them quickly. They were to take a different route east, and get to the fourth checkpoint, fifteen kilometres away, by ten o'clock that night.

Leon grinned. "This'll be easy!"

Alex looked at him in disbelief.

"Right," he said eventually, "there's a catch."

xox

Perspiration ran down Alex's back as the two boys canoed down a river. The boat had been waiting for them at the water's edge. Ever wary of traps, Alex had checked it thoroughly for holes, and had found nothing. The boat seemed a little heavier than normal, but Leon had told him it was probably just their fatigue showing. He still wasn't sure, but he could find nothing else wrong, so they'd decided to use to for the time being.

By six o'clock, it was already dark, and Alex was still paddling. A while back, Leon's arms had really started hurting, so Alex had let him take a rest. He didn't mind, really; he'd gotten used to taking care of Tom during camping trips, as he was more experienced and physically stronger than others his age.

As they floated past dark trees, a light flashed overhead. Leon immediately snapped awake.

"What was that? Was it a signal?"

Alex shook his head. If it had been a signal, there'd have been some shouting to accompany it. In the silence, he made out a high-pitched whistling noise. If he hadn't stopped paddling after the flash, he'd never have heard it.

Following his ears, he determined that it was coming from inside the hollow of the boat. Shining a torch at the plastic, he noticed an object sticking to the inside. A quiet beeping was accompanying the whistle.

"Leon," he murmured, "I think they've strapped some explosive to the boat. After I've got rid of the packs, gently let yourself fall out of the boat. Try not to make any sudden movements, as they could set the bomb off. Swim ten metres underwater, then resurface. Be careful not to make any sudden movements. The shock could set the bomb off. Of course, it'll probably go off anyway, so be ready to dive down to minimise the force of the explosion."

Leon gaped at him. Alex carefully lifted their packs out, and pushed them away. The two boys slid out the boat and swam towards their packs. As soon as they touched them, the boat exploded. Alex quickly dived under the water, making sure not to resurface until he could hear nothing.

When Leon had also resurfaced, Alex advised that they keep swimming. Leon agreed, as it would be much quicker than going to shore and walking the rest of the way. They swam on their backs, packs to their chest, using survival backstroke.

xox

Basic training pushed Cherubs to their limits. They were pushed to their limits, but it prepared them for worst situations. However, at the end of the day, there was no truly life-threatening danger. The route downriver had been carefully selected to pose minimal harm, and the explosives had been weak.

This was not to say that it was completely danger-free, though. There were eels and water snakes that could still harm Alex and Leon, so they were careful not to make any sudden movements when swimming, so as not to antagonize them.

Three hours before the deadline, Alex and Leon arrived at the checkpoint. They made their way to shore, climbing out onto an open field, with mountains surrounding them. There was a mud-brick cabin off to the side. Ever paranoid, Alex peeked into the room and found Mr Speaks sitting on a bunk reading a book. Leon followed him inside.

"Had fun?" Speaks asked, giving them a once-over.

"Yeah," Alex grinned.

Meanwhile, Leon was sneakily making his way over to a bottle of water sitting on a table. Speaks snapped his gaze over, smirking as Leon flinched in guilt.

"Help yourself. There are fresh packs, equipment, food and water. There's also a rainwater shower, if you want. The jeep will take you to a road 200 kilometres from the end. You've got until 1000 hours tomorrow to make it in time."

xox

Through the night and into the morning, Alex and Leon walked as briskly as they could manage. As they walked, they ate, drank and checked their direction constantly.

They reached the final checkpoint an hour before the deadline. They were the first ones there, and the first to shuffle towards a wooden building. The building was locked, but they drank water from a tap on the outside. Alex and Leon both washed their hair under it, cooling themselves down in the process. They slumped against the shady side of the building.

xox

The instructors led the other teams inside when all had arrived. All were blindfolded and seated while the instructors set a final test up. Smoke tied up their legs.

"Welcome to the ultimate test," Large began. "Before you puny little maggots become fully-fledged operatives, we need to know that you can cope with the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Number eight, what do you think is the worst that could happen on a mission?"

"Death," Luke answered.

"Death would be easy by comparison," Large informed them. "Well, what do you think, number four?"

Alex quietly answered, "Torture."

"Correct. What would happen if you were caught on a mission and you have knowledge some people would do anything for? They wouldn't have mercy just 'cause you're children. They'd still chop off your fingers. Rip out your eyes. Send thousands of volts of electricity through your tiny little bodies. Who knows; they might even forget their initial aim and just torture you to death."

The trainees were silent.

"We hope it will never happen to you, but we have to prepare you for if it does," Large continued. "This test will show us if you can tolerate pain. It will last one hour. You each have two buckets in front of you. Miss Smoke is placing a jellyfish in front of you. Its tentacles contain millions of microscopic spikes; each one filled with poison. A few minutes after contact, your skin will feel like it's been doused in pure hydrochloric acid. Within ten minutes, the pain is almost unbearable. A few years ago, an operative ripped through barbed wire and shredded his face. He told me it was less painful than this test.

"The antidote is in the bucket on the right. It will take only two minutes of contact with it to remove all pain."

The trainees' heads were grabbed, and mouth guards were placed in their mouths.

"You are being given mouth guards," Large explained, "because it is easy to bite off your own tongue when in extreme pain. You will each place your hands in the bucket, hands fully submerged. You have to tolerate the pain for one hour. Anyone who touches the antidote or removes his or her hands before time is up will be failed. Begin."

Alex leaned forward and placed his hands in the bucket. After numerous torture sessions in past missions, he was confident he would survive the test. The water was tepid and he could feel the sliminess of the jellyfish, reminding him of Herod Sayle's man-of-war.

Beside him, he could hear the others begin to pant.

"Two minutes," Large announced, "You should be beginning to feel the pain now."

Alex sat, frowning. He couldn't feel any pain yet, but the others seemed to.

"Five minutes!"

Alex spat out his mouth guard. "If I volunteer to stick my head in the bucket, do the others get to stop?"

The others gasped as well as they could with mouth guards in their mouth.

"It's just," he continued calmly, "I can't seem to feel any pain. In fact, the jellyfish feels a lot like a squid. No long, stringy tentacles."

He pulled his blindfold up and saw Leon do the same. The younger picked up his 'jellyfish'. Alex saw he'd been correct that it was a squid.

"This is completely fake," the other boy laughed.

"Glad you enjoyed my little trick." Large grinned at them. "Don't forget to untie yourselves before standing up."

The others removed their blindfolds.

"Look under your chairs," Annie said.

Underneath were grey shirts. Alex picked his up and unfurled it. There was a winged baby sitting on a globe and the acronym: CHERUB.

"Awesome!" Shaun yelled.

The kids pulled off their blue shirts, replacing them with the grey shirts as quickly as possible.

"Congratulations," Large said, his tone belying the words.

xox

During the plane trip back home, Alex wrote up a report on basic training to send to Blunt, in the guise of a letter in Russian to a friend back 'home'. Operatives weren't supposed to wear CHERUB uniforms off campus for security reasons, but all the others wore theirs under normal clothes, to celebrate their achievements. Alex thought the uncomfortableness was not worth the sentimental value.

Everyone was feeling happy. Even the instructors, who were allowed a short break before the next batch of trainees, were considerably more cheerful. Leon and the others bought a card at the airport gift shop to give to Large, Speaks and Smokes. Alex signed it with the rest, making sure to use his Cherub name.

They were taken by bus from the airport back to the training building. They gathered the stuff they'd left in their lockers and changed back into uniforms. Most kept their blue shirt as a souvenir; Alex kept his to give to Blunt. Hopefully the man would be pleased and would give him a short rest.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm impressed. My ploy worked. 10 reviews in one day!<strong>

**To xDarklightx: This story will be about nine chapters, plus a very short epilogue.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After training, Alex was given a week off to relax. He spent his time carefully documenting a floor plan of CHERUB campus. When the week was up, he received his new timetable. He had six hours of lessons during the school week, two hours' homework each night and two hours of lessons every Saturday. Alex was almost deafened by Leon's loud complaints. Shaun told him he could be punished by menial labour for not doing homework, and informed the others that all grey and dark shirted kids had to teach in order to learn responsibility. Leon's loud complaints increased their volume when he learnt he had to teach maths.

Alex was to teach weapons.

xox

Three days into his timetable, Alex was bored. He spent all lessons reviewing material he'd already learnt and when he was made to teach, he had to deal with annoying little kids who couldn't sit still, be quiet and listen.

Leon learnt quickly not to toe the line of trouble. In one lesson, he'd sworn under his breath and been assigned an eight hour shift of washing the teachers' cars. He hadn't been in trouble since.

Most days included a session of PE. They started with circuit training. Alex constantly pushed himself, forcing himself to do ten laps instead of eight. He kept up his fitness and earned the title of 'the Russian Runner'. The second half of the session was a ballgame, most often soccer. Alex enjoyed letting loose, running as much as he liked and stealing the ball from his opponents. The look of surprise on their faces never failed to amuse him.

After dinner, Alex was allowed an hour's rest; then it was homework time. Most of the time, he found himself completing the work quicker than the others did, so he was often called upon to help them. Next, just before bed, he would rush off to help teach remedial martial arts, along with Bruce. By the end of the day, he was worn out from the tedium. Thus, when he was called to the Mission Preparation room, he was suitably pleased. He wondered if the timetable was specifically made to manipulate Cherubs into accepting their missions.

The classified nature of missions meant that even entering the room required swiping your security card and having the blood vessels of your retina scanned. Alex was a little disappointed, as he had expected that CHERUB would have better defences. If a stranger came upon campus, they would easily be able to tell that CHERUB was not a normal place. With any other spy agency, it would be disguised and the stranger would be none the wiser. Adding to this, CHERUB had a noticeable lack of cameras. They said it was to allow agents their privacy, but what was the point in sacrificing safety for it? Isolation and a fence weren't good enough to hide an entire school of spies. He made a mental note to tell Blunt of this fact.

Inside the room was even more disappointing. The furniture was old and almost falling apart; which begged the question of why agents' rooms were equipped with state-of-the-art furnishings. Ewart Asker, whom he'd met before in Brecon Beacons, shook his hand, explaining that he would be Mission Controller for Alex's mission. His blond hair was showing its black roots and he had a new stud in his tongue. Alex was not very impressed.

"First mission, Alex," he grinned, "nervous?"

Alex shrugged indifferently; he'd been on missions before, and his persona would likely be worried by very little.

Ewart laughed. "Don't worry; this is an easy one, good to get you started. Just remember what you've learnt and you'll be fine."

_You'll be fine,_ his mind echoed. Famous last words.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow. I've been getting so many reviews (though all are from the same people)!<strong>

**To biblioholic: Woah! I never noticed that they were all orphaned at five! Must be a subconscious thing. . . Yes, I decided to re-use the jellyfish thing. I can't help my lack of imagination. Alex will be with CHERUB for a short while, but you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out. Also, thanks very much for all the ratings you give me at the end of your reviews!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_Game, set and match__. _Alex panted hard as he ran, limping heavily. During the mission, Ben Daniels had contacted him. Apparently, Blunt had enough information from what he'd sent _before_ the mission. He didn't seem to like sharing his agents much.

Obviously, he'd never been told sharing was caring.

Nevertheless, Alex had been growing bored with the simple mission. He hadn't ever thought that could be true, but there was something horrible tedious about going to school and making friends. He couldn't help but be annoyed with the other teens' naivety and self-assurances that they could never get hurt too badly. The teachers weren't very much better either. They seemed to all believe that as long as one had good grades and knew how to write an essay, one was set for life.

Therefore, when Alex saw an opportunity when James, his partner, made a mistake, he managed to utilise it and turn the mission into one of epic proportions. He'd made the bad guys notice they were being investigated, and now the Cherubs were running away from the compromised safe house. Of course, to properly return to MI6 without raising suspicion, he had to make sure they thought he was truly gone – he had to die.

Of course, faking your own death is no fun if it isn't spectacular, preferably with as much fire as possible.

Consequently, he wasn't running at full speed, lagging behind James by pretending to have twisted his ankle. James had wanted to stay, but he'd played the hero and told the older boy to go on ahead without him. He'd had a lot of fun crying "Save yourself!" dramatically.

Making sure James was far enough away, he faked a fall, releasing a soft cry of supposed pain and anguish and putting on his most disconsolate face, even stretching an arm out hopelessly towards the disappearing James. Almost immediately, the men were on top of him. He wrapped his arms and legs around them tightly, not just to cry and dirty their clothes with snot, but also (kind and considerate person that he was) to provide his partner with more time to get away. When James was out of sight, he allowed himself to relax as if releasing his will to live. He was knocked out soon after.

xox

He woke to the steady dripping of water down a wall, finding himself in a classic dungeon cell. The walls of the dungeon were gray stone, and there was a distinct smell of mould and stale piss permeating the air. He tried to move, but found himself unable to do so. This might have been the result of his hands being constricted by shiny silver handcuffs. After staring obsessively at their entrancing gleam for a while, he gave them an experimental rattle. Shiny or not, they weren't very well made – one of them fell off with a mournful clang. He shook the other, managing to slip it off as well. The stupid criminals, possibly too taken in by the shininess, had neglected to make sure he was properly secured! They hadn't even checked his pockets, he discovered, when he emptied them, revealing all the gadgets he'd been given by Ben during the mission.

When the main bad guy entered sneering, he was prepared. He'd slipped the cuffs back on, and wore a look of helpless defiance upon his face.

"Well, well. What do we have here? A spy, that's what." He spoke softly with a Brooklyn accent. For some reason, all bad guys seemed to have a penchant for stating the obvious.

"I – I don't know what you're talking about!" Alex played the typical teenage spy (if such a thing existed), widening his eyes and pouting dangerously. "Why would you think that?"

"I ask the questions here, boy! Why are you here? I happen to think you are here to expose me." His arms flailed about his squarish figure as he enunciated his words.

Apart from stating the obvious, bad guys obviously enjoyed answering themselves. Presumably, this was to prevent others from taunting them.

The man continued ranting for a bit, failing to rouse Alex's interest even when he took a step closer and waved a pointed finger at him. When he mentioned a bomb, however, Alex's interest was piqued.

". . . Cherubs think I have a bomb! They'll come here, you see, and I'll capture them and use 'em as hostages!" He sniggered wildly, teeth bared in a wide grin. "What do ya think of that, eh?"

Alex's mental eyebrows rose and he tried to look intimidated by the man's gloating, mind thinking furiously. By the time he'd left, Alex had a plan.

When meeting with Ben before, he'd been told that the other had constant contact with MI6. If Alex could escape, he could rendezvous with Ben and get him to acquire the right materials to blow up the bad guys' lair. If done correctly, the Cherubs would think the non-existent bomb had detonated and that he'd died in the blast. He sat back, a contented and rather wolfish smile gracing his face as he plotted the final details of his dramatic demise.

xox

Meanwhile, James and Ewart had met up at a nearby building. James breathlessly told Ewart everything, including how Alex had sacrificed himself so James could escape. Finishing his story, he gulped hard and tried not to let his face crumple under the weight of the tears threatening to destroy his reputation as a polished and slick spy. After James' heartfelt story, Ewart kindly allowed James time to gather his emotions, then explained how the other Cherubs had found out that the enemy had a bomb. James was horrified and demanded they rescue Alex at once.

"I don't care that we have no proof! We have to save him!" he yelled defiantly, tears mysteriously evaporated.

"I'm sorry, James," Ewart sighed sadly, "But we simply can't rush into what could be all of our deaths. Their security is impeccable. We need a plan."

xox

Alex was ready. He'd escaped easily – security these days was very lax, tut, tut – and met with Ben, who'd willingly given him a grenade and a tank of petrol with no questions asked. (Although, he had to admit, it was pretty obvious what he was going to do with the two.) Alex had re-entered the bad guys' building, captured all the men and tied them up, cackling gleefully to enhance his reputation –even though they were going to die, they could still benefit from his obvious glory before the end.

Next, he'd coated the entire place with petrol, trying not to breathe in the disgusting fumes and mourning at the amount of money – not to mention driving time! – he was throwing away. Hey, even if he wasn't allowed to drive, he could still appreciate the smooth (and shiny!) beauty of a powerful car.

When James and Ewart inevitably came to rescue him, he'd throw the grenade through the conveniently placed chimney and send the place into the clouds. Maybe the Cherubs would spread stories and sing praises of The Blond Bombshell who had sacrificed himself. His father would be _so_ proud.

When the Cherubs appeared on the edge of the horizon, he smiled gleefully and threw the grenade into the hole of the chimney. Seconds later, a large boom shook the earth as the grenade detonated and set the place alight, threatening to dislodge him from his viewpoint. The noise and light were incredible, and when all was still again, he had to wait until the ringing stopped and the spots blinked from his eyes.

xox

A few kilometres away, James and Ewart were sitting, shocked and dismayed, in their rescue vehicle. They had seen the huge fireball pluming into the sky. They had seen the smoke; they had heard the explosion. They were too late. James, though he hadn't known the other boy for long, found himself for the second time that day with watering eyes and a lump in his throat. Ewart was numb, stunned that a child had died under his care. Both Cherubs were silent as they drove back to campus to tell the others of Alex's fate.

xox

Alex sang along to the chorus of 'Freedom' by George Michael, which was aptly playing on the radio. He rejoiced as he sped away from the scene of his 'death'. The Cherubs probably weren't having such a good time, he knew, but it didn't matter to him. He was free!

xox

Back at campus, James was facing a lecture from Mac, and Ewart's career was in jeopardy. Both had arrived back with sombre faces, unable to face the truth of what had happened. When asked about the whereabouts of James's partner, the boy found it hard to hold back tears. It was horrible to think that Alex's death was his entire fault. If he hadn't made the mistake of relaxing on the mission. . .

He cursed his stupidity yet again.

**Epilogue**

Since CHERUB's fifth fatality, agents' safety was taken more into consideration. For this reason, Mac had called MI6 to request an assistant agent to help keep a few Cherubs safe. On this particular mission would be James Adam, his sister Lauren, Bruce Norris and Dave Moss. It would be James' first mission since the death of Alex Ivashchenko, and Mac hoped the familiarity of both the mission and the other agents would be able to help him move on. James had mostly recovered, but he still had moments of depression every now and then.

Mac looked up as a knock sounded on the door, interrupting the CHERUB's mission briefing. The Cherub agents were sitting on chairs around his desk, and they looked up too, wondering whom the Special Operatives agent was. Blunt, the head of MI6, had labelled the man as MI6's most indispensable agent. Apparently, the agent was coming to CHERUB for a short break, a holiday. Mac shuddered to know what was considered 'hard'.

The door opened slowly. Mac blinked as a blonde head, shorter than he had expected poked its way through the door, followed by the body. He was even more shocked to realise that it was the body of an adolescent. James made a slight choking noise.

"Hello," the newcomer said grinning, "I'm Alex."

* * *

><p><strong>Um. . . Sorry for skipping the mission. . . I couldn't think an original mission to put Alex on. . . <strong>

**But this story is finished now! Did you like it? Or was it disappointing? TELL ME!**


	10. Epilogue 2

**By popular demand: An extra chapter detailing each Cherub's individual reactions and Alex's explanation.**

**AN: Currently there is no plan for a sequel, but there might be in the future, so keep an eye out! Also, thanks for all the reviews, guys.**

* * *

><p><em>The door opened slowly. Mac blinked as a blonde head, shorter than he had expected poked its way through the door, followed by the body. He was even more shocked to realise that it was the body of an adolescent. James made a slight choking noise.<em>

"_Hello," the newcomer said grinning, "I'm Alex."_

* * *

><p>Mac, composed as ever, only twitched. James, however, was not so lucky and was openly gaping now. He could hardly form a proper sentence. "But– But. . . <em>How?<em>"

Alex smirked and made his way over to a seat. "I suppose I should explain. You were too blind to realise you weren't as secret as you thought. MI6 saw what you were doing, thought it would be a great idea to make me a spy. I was doing some extra training when you found me he was at BB though, and I thought it would be interesting to fool you."

He neglected to mention that Blunt had requested he infiltrate CHERUB to place bugs and collect information.

Mac looked a little ashamed. "I must admit, we _were _a bit arrogant and oblivious –"

Alex snorted. _A bit?_

Mac frowned and continued. "But we've seen our mistake and will make sure it never happens again. We must be grateful that it was you, who entered our ranks, and not an enemy. At least you did not mean any harm, and the most you did was train with us and go on a mission."

Alex hid a smile at that. They were _still _so naïve! Didn't they realise that though they were on the same side, MI6 would still treat them as outsiders and try to monitor them?

The other children had fallen silent, but now James spoke up. "Why did you pretend to die?"

Alex shot him a sympathetic look that was only partially sincere. "You had to learn that things can go wrong. That people _can _die. That sometimes, even if your enemy is weaker than you, they can still beat you. You were starting to think you were invincible and I had to fix that."

James accepted the explanation, but reluctantly. He still thought it was cruel of Alex to shock him like that, and he didn't think he'd be trusting the spy again anytime soon.

"Getting back to the reason you're here, we need to show you the details of the mission we have for you," Mac said.

The others leaned in closely, having already forgiven Alex. The blond spy, who already knew about the mission from Blunt, leaned back in his chair. It was always fun to trick people. Maybe that's why he was such a good spy.

* * *

><p><strong>Does <em>this <em>make a satisfying ending? I'm not psychic, so TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! (in a review).**


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